There have been plenty of questions about The Last Of Us Part 1 since it was announced, including the very controversial question about whether the game was just a “cash grab” for Naughty Dog. There had already been a remaster of the original game, and fans didn’t exactly ask for a new version on PlayStation 5. Naughty Dog fought back against that question and said that the remake of the original title would be beyond anything a remaster could do, stressing that fans would be stunned by all that the studio has accomplished. To help seal that feeling, a new video has been released talking about the art direction for the game.
One of the first things the team notes in the video is that the game is being remade now because they have 10 years of experience and hindsight to build off of in 2022. Recall that the game was first made for the PS3–a powerful console, but far behind what is capable on the PS5 in terms of not just art, but the way that the art can be used in the game itself. They even revealed that they still had the original art director from the first title, and then brought in another one and had the two look at the game and ask “how can we make this better?”
For example, the team noted that in The Last Of Us Part 1, you’re going to see Pittsburgh in a much more lush way. Using the details that there were there before and expounding them to showcase the world, fans will be shocked by the new life that has been breathed into the now-classic title.
Another key element to improving the art direction was the lighting. The team showcased a couple of cutscenes comparing the PS4 remastered version to the upcoming PS5 remake and you can see very clearly how the lighting is not just different but adds to the scenes themselves. Some of the scenes even have completely different lighting to help show off the mood or emotions of the characters themselves.
Obviously, the character models are another thing that has been improved, and as a result of that, you’ll get to see new looks for characters like Ellie, and other characters you meet along the way.
The Naughty Dog team throughout the end of the video made it clear that this wasn’t just a remake, it was a “labor of love” for them because they didn’t just want to do this game justice with its updated look and feel, they wanted to do right by the fans and by themselves.
The Last Of Us Part 1 comes out on PS5 on September 5, 2022.
Source: YouTube
